This case study explores Alex’s experience and how it relates to the common issue of decision fatigue.
Every morning, Alex sat at her desk, coffee in hand, staring at an overwhelming list of tasks. What should I work on first? Should I check emails? Tackle the biggest task? Follow up with that client? The minutes slipped away in indecision. Before she knew it, an hour had passed—and she was still spinning her wheels. Sound familiar? This is decision fatigue.
Wasting Time Deciding What to Work On
At first, Alex didn’t realize how much time she was losing each day just figuring out where to start. It felt like a minor inconvenience—until the ripple effect became impossible to ignore. The constant mental load of decision-making drained her energy before work even began. By mid-afternoon, overwhelm and frustration set in and the inner critic kept getting louder. She was exhausted.
Finally, a few tasks get started, but she jumped around from thing to thing. She started a lot but only finished a few bits and nothing really seemed “right”. Despite working long hours, she wasn’t making actual progress. Worse yet, the cycle repeated each day.
It is estimated that adults make roughly 35,000 decisions a day1. It doesn’t matter the size of the decision (what to wear vs. where to invest your life savings), each decision brings a level of stress. It has been suggested that we, as human adults, only have a certain capacity for making decisions before we are depleted and potentially experience cognitive, psychological, and behavioural effects.2
Research involving 26,501 credit loan applications revealed that approval rates decreased during midday due to decision fatigue. Modeling suggested that maintaining morning-level approval rates could have resulted in an additional $509,023 in revenue for the bank in just one month.
Alex wasn’t experiencing a lack of motivation or effort. It was decision fatigue—a silent productivity killer that keeps so many ambitious people stuck in a loop of busyness instead of actual progress.
Choosing A New Way
One day, Alex hit a breaking point. She was drowning in unfinished projects, missing deadlines, and feeling constantly behind at work and a home. Something had to change. That’s when she discovered the Stress-Free Method™—a way to eliminate decision fatigue and take control of her time.
Through our discussions, we found her mornings were a whirlwind of decisions before she even started work; a symphony of choices played out before her coffee was even cold. She was making decisions for herself and the household, plus she second (or twentieth) guessed each decision. By the time she got to work, she was exhausted and weighed down. She felt pressured to choose the “right” task.
In a 2024 research project, it was found that 87% of people waste between 1-3 hours each day on tasks that are not important. Yet 83% agreed systems improved their decision-making.3 It is clear the connection between implementing a system or process to improve the use of time.
From Scattered to Strategic
Within a few weeks of using her customized Stress-Free Method TM, everything shifted. Mornings became easy—no more wasted time figuring out what to do first. Instead of starting each day lost in indecision, Alex learned a simple yet powerful system that told her exactly what to work on, when, and why. No more guessing. No more scrambling. Just clarity and effortless action that aligned with her goals.
By the end of each day, she actually felt accomplished, with energy left over for life outside of work. Stress levels dropped. Productivity soared. And the best part? She was finally making consistent progress without working longer hours.
What Would It Feel Like to Start Your Day Already Knowing Exactly What to Do?
Imagine waking up tomorrow and knowing exactly where to focus your energy—no more decision fog, no more wasted mornings. What could you accomplish with that clarity? How much stress would disappear?
If you’ve ever felt like Alex—stuck in indecision and spinning your wheels—it might not be about working harder. It might be about working smarter. And sometimes, the first step is simply knowing there’s a better way.
Curious about what that could look like for you? There’s an easy way to find out.
– no commitment –
assessment so we can see how we might work together
